“Any revolution has been preceded by a moment of reformation where the people must feel like there is a desire to change,” said protester Justin Michael.

That desire for change has sparked a movement that has swept across the country and landed right in the middle of Hennepin County Government Plaza.

Friday, the group renamed it “The People’s Plaza.”

“Everywhere around the country people are scared, they don’t know what’s going on, and we all know that something is not right with our society,” Michael said.

Many said it’s time to establish a new system that values people over profits. The protester’s hand written signs told the stories of individuals and their reasons for protesting.

“We put profits before people,” said Douglas Mouton, who attended Occupy Minnesota. “It used to be a country for the people, and it’s no longer that. It’s about the dollar.”

Law enforcement was proactive, meeting with organizers and setting expectations, such as: no tents, bonfires or grills. They are hoping for a peaceful occupation.

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said, “This is the Public Safety Plaza, and we’re concerned about that. Our job is to keep [the protesters] safe and secure, and, likewise, we expect them to be orderly.”

So far there have been no problems.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Deputies as well as Minneapolis police placed additional officers in the area to help with security.

Organizers said they plan to stay as long as it takes to change the course of America.

Reg Chapman joined WCCO-TV in May of 2009. He came to WCCO from WNBC-TV in New York City where he covered an array of stories for the station including the Coney Island plane crash, the crane collapse on the city’s east side, 50 shots fired at...

@Great Work & Chuck Ashley. Here is what the Dismal Political Economist has to say about media bias:

“The Koch Brothers are radical Conservatives who spend tens of millions in trying to implement radical conservative government in the U. S.

The Koch brothers have donated millions to Republican candidates and conservative movements, bankrolling groups involved in Tea Party causes and in campaigns to deny climate change science and the need for cleaner energy. Through their Flint Hills subsidiary, they underwrote the failed 2010 ballot initiative that would have suspended California’s landmark law capping greenhouse gases.

They are also billionaire businessmen. Now it appears they are “truth challenged”.

In recent months Koch Industries Inc., the business conglomerate run by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, has repeatedly told a U.S. Congressional committee and the news media that the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline has “nothing to do with any of our businesses.”

But it turns out they told Canada a different story

In 2009, Flint Hills Resources Canada LP, an Alberta-based subsidiary of Koch Industries, applied for—and won—”intervenor status” in the National Energy Board hearings that led to Canada’s 2010 approval of its 327-mile portion of the pipeline. The controversial project would carry heavy crude 1,700 miles from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast.

In the form it submitted to the Energy Board, Flint Hills wrote that it “is among Canada’s largest crude oil purchasers, shippers and exporters. Consequently, Flint Hills has a direct and substantial interest in the application” for the pipeline under consideration

Yes, this story is being reported in a foreign newspaper, because if it were reported in a U. S. publication that publication would be guilty of media bias, class warfare bias, hatred of Conservatives bias, pro-liberal bias, anti-business bias etc. Ok, pick the bias of your choice.”

BHOSUX-after the market crashes later this month due to European banks collapsing Far More than you dare think & they Will be a heck of a lot angrier as they will have lost everything you may be out there with them!

Occupiers: We Plan To Stay As Long As It Takes – Wow, a headline that perfectly fits the story it is written about. As long as it takes to what. Theses people have no specific idea what they want. They have no concrete objectives. All they want is to speak warm fuzzy things, like “We stand for the middle class.” (Though personally I believe I am middle class and I really don’t think these people stand for me. Nor do I want them to stand for me, I can certainly stand for myself.) They are not offering any solutions to any of their perceived problems. Well, to repeat an old saying, “If you ain’t part of the solution you are part of the problem.”

I’m betting the Minnesota Winter will win this “occupation”. Don’t like Wall Street and Capitalism? Fine. If you want to turn the country into a “People First Utopia” by moving to Socialism, well, you have to be willing to give up your rights, including the right to have professional protestors organize events such as the “Wall Street Occupation”. The rich cats will always be rich, the multinationals will still be there. They will make money no matter the economic or political climate because “those with the gold make the rules”.

I aggree with Douglas Mouton in that principal, Although now we have a new issue, as we are depending on other people to behave in a manner that is benificial to all.
While I believe that in General people will respond in kind, these are not calm times we have now though.

In the 50s & 60s the white folk ignored minorities, particularly blacks. The demonstrations started, and the government started doing something about equal rights.
History repeats itself: Now the unemployed, which results in homelessness, hunger, etc., have started demonstrating maybe the government can get their act together to get the economy going. They have taken care of the rich now how about the rest of the people.
It is easy to make snide sarcastic remarks when your little world is doing fine but I wonder how bad you have ever had it in your life. Incidentally, I also question your commitment to Christian values.

@Angus. I remember the 50s and 60s. I remember the protests. I remember the deaths of three Freedom Riders, and I remember the deaths of 4 students at Kent State in Ohio. I remember the bloody riots of the Democratic Convention in Chicago. I remember the slurs, epithets, revulsion of the “silent majority” against the uppity young people who dared protest civil rights, women’s rights, universal draft of 19-year-olds, and an undeclared war in VietNam. I remember Watts and Detroit burning. Back when unions were formed, I remember reading history about how the organizers were “murdered.” And moving up in history, those of us in the 50’s can remember the character assassination and lives ruined by the McCarthy hearings. Civil change is mostly not civil, and I hope the protesters are ready to stand strong in the face of the adversity to come

It’s funny how many people just doesn’t get it. People are finally fed up with the class warfare launched against the middle class 30 years ago. We gave you a chance. We were willing to believe in trickle down economics. We watched as the lowest taxes in 80 years brought on recession. We watched when the economy recovered and our debt went down when Clinton raised taxes from 33% to 39.5% on the highest earners (Those rates were up to 80 and 90 % in the 1960s) We watched Bush 2 cut those rates to 33% again. We then watched as the economy tanked even deeper and the middle class once again had war declared on them. We watched as human decency and discourse was replaced one bit at a time with the mindless psychopathic fire of unchecked corporate greed. Well…….We watch no more. We are taking action.